On Thursday, 4th of July, our Roots & Shoots Malaysia Award program volunteers had the chance to attend the Google Earth Outreach workshop at the Google Office Malaysia.

This one-day workshop was to prepare volunteers with the appropriate mapping and data collection tools so that they may apply in their work with our partners in various fields, related to helping the environment, animals and human communities.

The volunteers got to explore the latest in Google mapping technology which includes:

• Google Earth
• MyMaps
• Google Earth Engine Timelapse
• Open Data Kit
• Street View & Tour Creator

All of these could be used individually or collectively to track land use changes in the environment, plot certain places of interest, record data more efficiently, and present findings in a visually appealing manner.

The workshop was conducted in such a way to be an interactive learning experience. The volunteers learnt hands-on the step-by-step guide on using the tools to their advantage.

At the end of the day, the volunteers were challenged to think as Compassionate Leaders by being given a group task to come up with an idea on how to use the tools to solve current issues. 

From tackling the plastic problem to tracking wildlife and poachers in the forest, it seemed that their ideas may potentially become a reality.

We hope that the volunteers find this learning experience beneficial for their conservation and education efforts. Together as Compassionate Leaders, we aim to go beyond awareness to take action and make this world a better place.

Last but not least, thank you to Google Earth Outreach team for a fantastic session!